AP Article: "House panel told of warnings about VA"

[vietnam_war_vet]

((From this article's first two paragraphs: in late 2005, the then-new VA Secretary Jim Nicholson (former Republican National Chairman) ended/rejected a just-developed program by a VA project manager (Paul Sullivan) that would have consolidated the VA's veterans medical records and would have helped to alleviate the massive delays/backlogs in the VA health care system.

Sullivan also sent several official emails to Nicholson and Nicholson's staff "warning of a surge in claims from veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and that more staffing and funding was needed.

From the article below:

"I made those warnings on several occasions," Sullivan said to the congressional subcommittee, but he added that he never received a response.

Testimony today from Sullivan and the Government Accountability Office painted a picture of neglect, bureaucratic delays, and poor coordination in the nation's vast network of 1,400 VA hospitals and clinics. Lawmakers from both parties expressed outrage."


The current Republican leadership and the Bush administration's self-serving hypocrisy and political deception knows no bounds, even when it comes to supporting our military war veterans....and that is a primary reason why our country's military hospitals and VA hospitals/clinics are currently in such a shameful, woeful state. -- Michael))



House panel told of warnings about VA

By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer 51 minutes ago

A former Veterans Affairs official said Thursday he warned the department as early as August 2005 of backlogs in the VA health care system but officials instead shelved a program aimed at alleviating delays.

Paul Sullivan, a former project manager for the VA, told a House panel investigating veterans care that he helped develop a program to consolidate medical records with the Defense Department but that the program suddenly ended once Secretary Jim Nicholson took office in late 2005.

Sullivan also said he sent e-mails warning of a surge in claims from veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and that more staffing and funding was needed.

"I made those warning on several occasions," he said, but never received a response.

Testimony from Sullivan and the Government Accountability Office painted a picture of neglect, bureaucratic delays and poor coordination in the nation's vast network of 1,400 VA hospitals and clinics.

Lawmakers from both parties expressed outrage.


Associated Press writer Pauline Jelinek contributed to this report.

___

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070309/ap_on_go_co/vets_medical_care

On the Net:

Department of Veterans Affairs: http://www.va.gov/

House Veterans Affairs Committee:

http://veterans.house.gov/

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press.

EDITED DUE TO COPYRIGHT RULES. PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE MORE THAN 4-5 PARAGRAPHS PER ARTICLE. THANK YOU.

[Erika]

1. Jim Nicholson was yet one more poor appointment of W

The GOP rubber stamping is disgusting.

[MO_Dem]

4. Yes, a mighty poor appointment!

Did you see the film clip on ABC last night when Nicholson was asked about that "shelved" plan that Princippi (sp?) supposedly was aiming to implement? His lower lip quivered and he looked totally bewildered. Sort of like he was thinking "Oh, God, I don't recall my talking points. What am I gonna do. Karl is gonna kill me."

[SpiralHawk]

10. "Commander AWOL always makes superwise appointments." - Brownie

"If you were republicon cronies benefiting from the kickbacks, you would agree."

- Brownie

[saigon68]

2. Welcome Home Bro

I too have seen this before

Welcome to DU :-) :-)

[robinlynne]

3. I would like to add that the plan in this article would have cost under one million,

while Walter Reed spent an extra 7 million to privatize last year, a plan which took 300 employees down to 50, at a higher cost....

[badgervan]

5. Nicholson Kneels to bush

When Nicholson was appointed head of the VA, some of us realized immediately that we were screwed. This former RNC head was and is a water carrier for bush/cheney; thus a disciple of "shrink the government by any and all means", and privatize all. If anyone can give me one example of Nicholson putting the welfare of veterans above the constant VA budget shrinking of the bush administration, I'd sure like to hear it. This guy has been poison to vets.
Max Cleland for Secretary of the Veterans Administration.

[Vinca]

6. This administration has been one crony appointee after another

and one disaster after another. Brownie meet Nickolson.

[salin]

7. Infuriated K&R

thanks for posting these stories/links.

[Buttercup McToots]

8. Welcome Sir

This place is a good place...
:patriot:

[radfringe]

9. priorities seem a bit screwed up

CONFIRMED: Top House Spending Official Knew Of Walter Reed Squalor
THINK PROGRESS | March 8, 2007
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/08/young-knew-walter-reed

---snip---
Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-FL), former chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, said he stopped short of going public with the hospital’s problems “to avoid embarrassing the Army while it was fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan”

--------

sooooooooooooo, it was more important to avoid "embarassing" the Army than addressing the hospital's problems????

[tanyev]

11. Support the troops! Support the troops!

As the highly trained GOP parrot choir embarks on their mission to drown out these stories.

[speedingbullet]

12. Oddly Familiar

It seems that I have heard about this White House ignoring warnings before.

[fed-up]

13. for those that missed ABC's special-here's some links-Go Paul-

Hats off to the whistleblowers!

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2932765

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/03/under_va_chief_.html
Under VA Chief, Effort to Aid Wounded Vets Stalled, Ex-Employee Charges

March 07, 2007 4:30 PM
Brian Ross and Justin Rood Report:

Under VA Chief, Effort to Aid Wounded Vets Stalled, Ex-Employee Charges

A proposal to keep seriously wounded vets from falling through he cracks of the bureaucracy was shelved in 2005 when Jim Nicholson took over as the secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department, according to the former VA employee who was responsible for tracking war casualties.

As a result, seriously wounded veterans continued to face long delays for health care and benefit payments after being discharged from the military, says former VA program manager Paul Sullivan.

The program, called the Contingency Tracking System, had been approved by Nicholson's predecessor but died once Nicholson took over the VA, Sullivan told ABC News.

Sullivan said he was told the cost of the system -- less than $1 million to build and requiring a handful of staff to maintain -- was prohibitive.

....


http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/03/update_hearing_.html

Update: Hearing Highlights Vet Tracking Woes

March 08, 2007 3:30 PM
Justin Rood Reports:

The Department of Veterans Affairs scrapped an early effort to track returning war casualties because it was too expensive to implement, a senior official confirmed today before a congressional panel.

ABC News yesterday reported a former VA employee said the department did not implement a 2004 plan that would have ensured injured veterans received timely care and benefits. As a result, some wounded vets have suffered as they waited for disability payments and proper care.

News of the program's shelving prompted outrage from some quarters. "I am not convinced the Veterans Affairs Department is doing its part," said Rep. Harry E. Mitchell, D-Ariz., chairman of the panel, in prepared remarks. Mitchell said he was "deeply troubled" by the report.

[fed-up]

14. this needs one more rec-glad to see MSM covering it-nt

[EFerrari]

15. Welcome to DU, vietnam_war_vet.

:)

[vietnam_war_vet]

17. Muchas gracias for the welcome....

....actually I've been on DU since 2004. DU is a wonderful source for info, political and otherwise. I just don't post much. ;-) -- Michael

[EFerrari]

18. You've been here two weeks longer than I have.

lol

[formercia]

16. Nicholson is a Knight of Malta

Crusader/Slaver to the end.